Shipwrecks Of Tasmania S Wild West Coast L

The earliest sightings of Australia by Europeans was of the West Coast, and from as early as 1622 British, Dutch, Portuguese and American ships have run foul of the treacherous waters along that coast line. Includes stories of the early interactions with Aboriginal and Europeans.

The Wreck of the Sailing Ship Netherby is the story of an 1866 shipwreck on the western coast of King Island, in southern Australia. It tells of a near miracle, vividly related by three different participants. Here was a ship with 413 emigrant passengers and a crew of 38, impaled by night on serrated reefs not far from the 1845 remains of the Cataraqui. The Cataraqui had lost 399 lives. The senior officers of the Netherby were instrumental in saving the lives of all those aboard their vessel, plus a baby born on the island to one of the rescued passengers!